FRACTURE by Amanda K. Byrne (@AmandaKByrne #hot #contemporary)

This is so cool! Today is the release day for my good friend and critique partner Amanda K. Byrne's first full-length novel, Fracture. I had the great good fortune to be one of the beta readers for this project and I can honestly say I LOVE THIS BOOK! It'll hit you right in the feels! So check it out, and keep reading for my girl Amanda's thoughts on the playlist for Fracture...

I’m a big fan of playlists. I make one for the majority of my stories, though I rarely listen to them while I’m writing. But they do a fantastic job of setting the mood, and with my newest release, Fracture, I needed it.

Fracture is set in present day war-torn Sarajevo, so I wanted intense, angry music. Songs like “I Stay Away” by Alice in Chains and “Metal Heart” by Garbage. Or Kasabian’s “Switchblade Smiles”, and Linkin Park’s “Castle of Glass”.

And since U2 is my favorite band, I had to include one of their songs, and it’s such an obvious one, too – “Bullet the Blue Sky”. Another war song, “Zombie” by the Cranberries, made the list, but I chose an acoustic version over the album version. It’s got this haunting quality to it that brings to mind an almost visceral image of the destruction and havoc war wreaks on humanity.

My taste in music can be rather eclectic, though, so there’s a few songs that kinda sorta don’t make a lot of sense (Morten Lauridson’s “O Nata Lux”, which is absolutely gorgeous, and “Central Reservation” by Beth Orton). One scene takes place in a dance club, so I threw in some David Guetta (“Turn Me On”, featuring Nikki Minaj) and Bassnectar (“Ping Pong”). 

But if I were to pick a theme song off the list, it would be “Gorecki” by Lamb. Declan, for all his cruelty and thoughtlessness, turns out to be exactly what Nora needs, and their connection is this fierce, adamantine bond forged in the chaos. The melody and the beat combine into something dark and sensuous, full of heat and lust and need. When Lou Rhodes sings, “Here my heart knows calm”, I can imagine Nora thinking those very words.

Got a Spotify account? You can listen to the full playlist here.

Blurb

Every nightmare has an end.

There’s no way Nora can ignore the beating. Same heavy boots. Same curses, same pained groans. But that was two years ago, and this a different man, a different part of war-ravaged Sarajevo. This is her second chance. She has to try.

And then she’s stuck with him, nursing him, putting up with him. Declan’s an ass. He’s rude and tactless. He’s arrogant. Dismissive.

Charming. Intense. Caring when she needs it most – and least expects it. He tears away the numbing fog that’s been her constant companion and offers her a way out and a way home.

And it damn near destroys her.

Nora’s survived two years in a war zone. Can Declan show her how to live?

Buy it here 

AMZ | BN | KOBO | iBooks | GR

Bio

The official version:

When she’s not plotting ways to sneak her latest shoe purchase past her partner, Amanda writes sexy, snarky romance and urban fantasy. She likes her heroines smart and unafraid to make mistakes, and her heroes strong enough to take them on.

If she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking hot chocolate, and trying not to destroy her house with her newest DIY project. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and no, it really doesn’t rain that much.

The not quite as boring version:

I didn’t set out to be a writer. A lot of people say that, and they say it because it’s true. More, I didn’t set out to be a romance writer. I wanted to be a jockey when I was younger. Yes, I wanted to ride racehorses for a living. Then I wanted to be a juvenile probation officer. At some point, I wanted to be a teacher, a princess, and an actress, and I ended up doing none of those things.

I adore reading. In fact, I love it so much I review books as well as write them. I review for My Bookish Ways and Vampire Book Club, and sometimes I’ll post a review on my own blog. I grew up reading literary fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and the occasional chick lit thrown in for spice. The only romance author I’d read for years was Nora Roberts (closing in on twenty years with that relationship) and while I’ve since expanded my romance reading horizons, she still remains one of my go-to authors for comfort reading.

I have the world’s neediest cat and the most amazing partner. I also have a massive number of shoes and sweaters and can’t bring myself to part with any of them. If you bring me green Sour Patch Kids, I will love you forever, but I could (and do) live happily without brussel sprouts. I drink too much Pepsi, guard my free time fiercely, and swear a lot (except on Facebook, because my mother doesn’t like it).

Why Amanda K. Byrne? Because if you google my name without my middle initial, Google thinks you’re talking about a former Nickelodeon actress with some…issues. Go on and check it for yourself. I’ll wait.

*cricket chirp*

See? Anyway.

I have a love/dislike relationship with social media. I’m all over it, but I don’t spend too much time in one place. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, a sorely neglected Tumblr, and you can check out the playlists for some of my books over on Spotify. Or you could, you know, be old fashioned and send me an email.

Plagiarism Happens

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No Kissing Allowed!! (#NoKissBlogfest)

Not....quite....kissing...

The point of this little exercise, my darlings, is to tease you, to draw you into a character's mind, to take you to the very edge where you can feel their warmth and sweet breath.

But NO KISSING.

Nope. None.

And after you read my snippet, you'll click the link below to see a listing of all the blogs participating in this little blogfest, so you can do it (or NOT, because NO KISSING) again and again and again. There are some truly fantastic writers participating here - and I want to give a shout-out to Amanda for organizing us. You should totally check out all the posts, and see all the creative ways they torment their characters.

Because NO KISSING, remember?

The snippet below is from my current WIP. The story is set in 1955, and Russell's the assistant coach for a synchronized swimming team who travels to Seattle to perform in the annual Seafair event, the Aqua Follies. He meets Skip, a trumpet player in the show's band, and despite Russell's best intentions, he finds himself falling for another man. Right here they're on a hike through the woods, up by Deception Pass...

“Russ.” Skip’s voice chased him. “Russell. Come on. I’m sorry.” Braced against a tree by his forearm, Skip’s chest heaved as he fought for breath. “I’m an ass.” He doubled over coughing.

Russell jogged back in Skip’s direction, chagrined at himself for the drama.

“Naw.” He focused on the fabric of the other man’s shirt to avoid the deep water intensity of his gaze.

“Yeah I am.” Skip somehow gave the benign statement a seductive edge.

Russell memorized the small fray in Skip’s right cuff, the worn patches on the knees of his dungarees, the shadow of a beard under his lower lip. Anything but his eyes, his smile. “Let’s hike some more.”

“Now you’re trying to kill me.” Skip scuffed through the fallen, crumbled leaves, coming close enough to clasp Russell’s shoulder.

Russell froze, caught on the edge of a blade. “What?” His voice was raspy and raw. Skip’s spicy scent made Russell want him closer still.

“I like strong men, smart men,” Skip whispered. “Always have.”

Russell closed his eyes, paralyzed by competing urges: to put his fist in Skip’s face or to run away fast. Or to turn around and kiss him.

“Come out with me tonight, after the show.”

Balanced on a high wire between wanting and fear, Russell couldn’t find it in himself to respond.

Susie ran up through the trees, Ryker right behind her. “Your aunt’s blowing her whistle, Russ. We’ve got to get back.”

By now, Russell's resistance to Skip has almost completely worn away, but they've still got a ways to go before they find their HEA. But for you fine souls, click HERE to carry on with the blogfest. You'll find the master list of participating blogs, and there'll be all kinds of heat, but NO KISSING.

Have fun!
Liv

Two on Tuesday

A few years ago, I attended the Write on the Sound writers' conference. The day before the conference officially started, I participated in a pre-conference fiction workshop. It was great fun, and I got to know some pretty amazing people. Some of us kept in touch, and in the last week, two writers from that workshop published short stories. I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peek at both these stories and thoroughly enjoyed them. Amanda and Diane don't know I'm doing this, but I decided to put together a quick post, showing off on their behalf.

It's a rare day that Amanda K. Byrne and I don't connect. Between email, facebook, and twitter, we give each other support, honest feedback, or a ration of shit, depending on the situation. She published Rehab last week. It's a 7000 word erotic short story, and a fantastic example of her ability to write really good naughty stuff. It's a free download... check out the links below...

An accident forces Lila into physical therapy - and onto Dean's massage table. Under his talented hands, her injuries start to heal, and sparks a desire that neither one can ignore.

Available for free from Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes n' Noble. 

I remember so clearly reading Diane Geurts' Mrs. Robinson after the WOTS workshop. The story has stayed with me because Diane's language is so clean and strong and insightful. I remember feeling panicked as I read it, as if I was on the brink of a disaster that never quite happened, and I better shut up now or I'll start giving things away. It'd be better if you checked it out for yourself...

Camilla Robinson is a formerly high-powered executive, emphasis on formerly. Now, she spends the hot summer days next to her pool, with her young daughter and Andy, one of the teenagers who lives in the neighborhood. She knows, even as she sips martinis and serves them to Andy, that her life is spiraling somewhere just out of her reach. She just can't bring herself to care, especially around the wealthy, Martha Stewart-like women who are mothers to her daughter's friends. She flirts with Andy. She puts Baileys in her morning coffee. She ruins play dates. This "long" short story is a humorous and poignant look at one woman's journey to find her way back to who she really is.

Available from Amazon

Even though I called this post Two for Tuesday, I'm going to throw in a third option for you. This is a really cool bundle from Rayne Hall. She's put together all ten of her Ten Tales anthologies (normally $0.99 each) for $2.99. I've got short stories in five of her anthologies, and they all provide a diverse look at different subgenres of paranormal fiction. Jump HERE to see her listing on Amazon. There's Ten Tales of Ghosts, and Ten Tales of Steampunk, and Ten Tales of Seers, and Ten tales of Vampires, and...